The fact all your magic happens around the edge of the box is a concern for us, because we have no defensive steel in midfield. Joe Allen is doing a good job as a Lucas stand-in, but he's not had to do it against players of that quality yet (I also think Spurs will dominate against us this year if Lucas isn't back).

The only cause for hope for me is Suarez v Terry. Not because they'll know eachother from Klan meetings but I think Suarez should easily win that battle.

Just looking at everyone's upcoming fixtures for important business-related business Fantasy Football stuff. I don't select United players as a rule, but i fear not doing so is going to effectively ruin my chances of winning it and cost me mega coin.

Their run of fixtures, either side of the Derby, but especially before - Villa, Norwich, QPR, West Ham, Reading, then Sunderland, Swansea, Newcastle (h), West Brom & Wigan after is, on paper at least, ridiculously easy, though of course they did drop points to three of those last season.

The league title, and my Fantasy League chances could effecively be over by New Year this season, providing United don't crumble under Mancini's mind games again and blow a huge lead. Winning at Eastlands would put them in a very strong position.

No Rag Conspiracy stuff, everyone plays everyone twice. Paying them a compliment if anything. To be top at this point after already going to Chelsea, Newcastle, Liverpool and Everton is a pretty decent achievement in itself. In the very least they should be favourites now. You'd hope they'd handle the pressure a bit better than last year.

dunno why. Especially considering we've got Coquelin instead of wilshere in midfield. Loads of arsenal fans seem to think he's the second coming or something, which i really don't understand, since everything i've seen of him suggests he'll be moved on by the end of this season or the next to a mid-level prem team or someone like Lille for about £6m.

mannone could've saved both goals, should've saved the second. Coquelin is mainly at fault for the second i think, i'm pretty sure it was him who failed to track the runner, which is really, really basic stuff. Berbatov fouled sagna for their first with a push in the back, sagna should've made more of a meal of it tbh. But i guess they've been better than us ever since we scored the second, so whatever.

A series of tasty tackles
Karl Henry gets carried away and throws himself in - he's a fucking moron for doing so, but it certainly didn't look like a red.
Referee similarly gets carried away with the situation and has the red card out before the players had stopped sliding.

He also gave a daft penalty for a handball from 2 yards.

Hopefully battling to get a point after playing an hour with 10 men will do them some good.

no one with even half a brain cell thinks we should sack wenger right now. So obviously they look as hard as they can for people with less than half that brain cell to retweet their moronic shit and dress it up as `common opinion` or whatever.

There's been a couple of classic 2-3's at Villa Park over the years between us and Villa. The 2-3 in January 2002 when Ruud and Solskjaer inspired a comeback in the FA Cup. Also in spring 2009 with the famous Macheda goal. Will we get another one tonight?

Another win for Crystal Palace, although we totally dominated again it did look like it wasn't going to be our day. But some great subs including bringing on Andre Moritz finally got the deserved result.

It was a great away day, went by train, went to a couple of noce real ale pub follewed by standing on a terrace.

Tbf Spurs were shit today, other than at set pieces we didn't create anything or look dangerous at all. I don't know why Gallas plays over Dawson, he's lost his pace and is error prone, Dawson is so much more assured.Lennon and Bale were both absent, Huddlestone was pretty terrible as well.

aside from Sandro and Maddy- it felt like most of the problems were created by ourselves and two 60/40 penalty appeals that yet again went against us. Poor finishing again made the game closer than it really should have been.

Not sure how much of a tactical masterstroke going to 3-5-2 was really- just having a decent wide option on the bench would have done the same job instead of trying to play fucking Kolarov on the wing. The one or two times Spurs got the ball up the field the defence again looked very uncomfortable, and if their final ball wasn't so shit/Clichy wasn't such a hero they still could have got something.

Result, at home, against a poor side is one thing - we get a ridiculous thrashing a season, so lets hope we have this one out of the way nice and early

But really our only great centre half getting himself suspended for some insanely difficult games, plus one of few great players probably being out for the season. Terrible.

Warnock has to field a lot of the blame - not only for yesterday, though what a tool for making 3 subs at half time. But really, though he's put together a very good spine, and has been pretty unlucky with injuries - McCormack and Austin have to be fit all season, really - we've still got a thin squad full of journeymen and some utter crap.

It was always gonna be a big ask to go up this season, but I would have liked to still hold hope in November ffs, and I still believe with key men fit playing to their strengths, we're among top 7 or 8 teams in the league. But really with confidence as it is and the run we're on, with Huddersfield, Leicester etc coming up, we'll do lucky to not be in the bottom five this time next month.

If we can somehow remain within 10 points of sixth in January, this takeover actually happens - rumours of a press conference on Monday? - and we get massive investment, then we have hope. But really right now I'd be delighted if we finish 12th. Cant remember the last season I felt this negative and hopeless in November...

Guyhousername, your boys would appear to be fucked. Mind you I'm only too happy to endure our own ropey home form if it means the occasional nine-goal thriller. Can't believe that drip Royter didn't mention us in his Wednesday football thread.

On top without ever really dominating, wasting some very presentable chances, conceding a soft goal and then shitting our pants and seemingly trying to lose in the last 10 minutes. This weekend illustrates perfectly why Chelsea likely won't sustain a title challenge this season- never mind having strikers as effective and able to conjure something from nothing on the bench or completely left out, we don't have that in our first XI.

Howard Webb looked a bit of a frustrated footballer today. Not sure I've seen a ref get so many touches of the ball in a single game! Great tackle on Ramires, think he blocked a Liverpool runner at one point too.

as irritating as that was. Chelsea the better team for seventy minutes, Liverpool on top at the death. I'm not going to mention Torres on here ever again- the guy literally just gave up as soon as the second goal gave in.